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Candidates surface for county office

Filing for public office opened Tuesday, and a half-dozen candidates have already emerged for varioius Becker County positions.

County commissioners Larry Knutson and Ben Grimsley have filed for re-election, and County Attorney Gretchen Thilmoney, who was appointed to the post earlier this year, has filed for election to her first full term.

Two have filed for county recorder: Sandra (Sandee) Listul and Patricia Swenson.

And two have also filed for county sheriff: Tim Clements and Todd Glander.

No one has yet filed for the vacant county auditor-treasurer position.

There will be new faces for sure in several positions: Sheriff Kelly Shannon has said he does not plan to run for election, Recorder Marlene Manavel plans to retire, and the auditor-treasurer position is currently vacant, since Ryan Tangen took a job with the Detroit Lakes School District earlier this year.

No one has yet filed for the open Becker Soil and Water District supervisor seats in districts 1 and 4.

The filing fee is $50 for county offices and $20 for Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor.

Filing closes at 5 p.m. June 3.

A primary election will be held Aug. 12 for those offices with more than two candidates.

City council and school board elections will also be held Nov. 4, but few if any in this area use primary elections, so filing doesn’t open for those races until July 29. It closes Aug. 12.

In city and school district races the top vote-getters will be seated. Frazee-Vergas School District was one of the few that used the primary election system, but recently dropped it, since fewer candidates have been filing for school board.

Half of the 10-person Detroit Lakes City Council is up for election this year: The seats are held by Madalyn Sukke and Al Brevik (both aldermen-at-large); Dan Wenner (first ward); Dave Aune (second ward); and G.L. Tucker (third ward).

Three of the five seats on the Frazee City Council are up for election to four-year terms this year, including the mayor’s position currently held by Hank Ludtke, and two council member seats now held by Bonnie Julius and David Jopp. The filing fee is $3.

In Vergas, the mayor’s position and two city council seats are up for election. The council seats are four-year terms and the mayor serves a two-year term.

In Audubon: Up for re-election on the five-person city council are Mayor Brad Grant and council members Carol Bergerson and Gary Bakken. The council seats are four-year terms and the mayor’s seat is for two years. Filing fee is $2.

In Callaway, Mayor Gretchen Stalboerger is up for election for a two-year term. Council members Charles Loreth and Cliff Bryngelson are up for election to four-year terms on the five-member city council.

In Waubun, the mayor and two city council positions will be on the ballot. Andrew Berg is the mayor and Jean Horack and Thomas Bement are the city council members whose terms are up. Winners will serve four-year terms on the five-member city council. Filing fees are $2 for mayor and $1 for council positions.

Also appearing on ballots in Becker County will be a few other city races as well as races for U.S. senator, U.S. representative, state representative, governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, and Minnesota attorney general.

Filing fees for Minnesota House and Senate are $100, and for state executive and judicial offices the fee is $300.